Zambia’s Namwali Serpell Wins the 2015 Caine Prize

Namwali Serpell has been announced as the winner of the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story, “The Sack”. Serpell receives £10 000, while each shortlistee received £500.

In an unprecedented move Serpell announced in her acceptance speech that she will be sharing the prize with her fellow shorlistees – a fine gesture indeed.
The winner was announced at an awards ceremony and dinner at the Weston Library, Bodleian Libraries, Oxford. Zoë Wicomb chaired the panel of judges this year, which included Neel Mukherjee, Brian Chikwava, Zeinab Badawi and Cóilín Parsons.

Last year, the Caine Prize went to Okwiri Oduor, for her story “My Father’s Head”.

2015 marks the 16th time the prize has been given, and as a sign of the established calibre to be found in African writing, and maturity of the Caine Prize, the shortlist included one past winner and two previously-shortlisted writers. Serpell’s win is a first for Zambia.